Three things I will do to get better in ELA and ELA teaching before student teaching are as follows:
1. I will study all material and content standards of not just the grade I am in but also the material from the grade before and the grade after so I am comfortable with anything I would need to teach.
2. I will use an array of resources (online, books, undergraduate materials) to help me throughout the process with understanding the material.
3. Try and teach as much literacy based lessons as I can in my field placement this semester to practice and get more comfortable with it before student teaching.
CCSU Lesson Plan Template
Student Teacher: Samantha Little
Grade Level: 5th
Lesson Date:
Name of Lesson: Exploring Different Themes Using A Picture Book
Common Core State Standard(s)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.2: Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1.A: Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer's purpose.
Student Learning Objective(s)
Students will be able to recognize theme within a movie clip familiar to them.
SWBAT construct an authentic definition of theme in one sentence.
SWBAT describe examples of theme using their knowledge of different movies, books, songs, fables, poems, etc.
SWBAT support a theme from the book Side By Side using 2-3 supporting details.
Assessment
State the specific strategy (ies) and tool(s) used to collect the data for each SLO (i.e., essays, projects, quizzes, exit slip, worksheet, etc.). Are there students who will require an accommodation or modification to this lesson’s assessment?
The teacher will access student learning by observing different student’s explanations of theme based on their previous understandings and video clip from Finding Nemo. The teacher will observe students talking with their peers on their specific interpretation of the theme from the clip. The teacher will also access their understanding of the different examples they provide to the teacher based off of each theme card (provided by the teacher). If the student gives a specific theme and explains correctly why he/she thinks that is the theme of the book or movie etc., then the teacher will conclude that the student has mastery understanding of the subject. For example, if the theme card says “Friendship” the teacher will look for examples like Toy Story or The Rainbow Fish. Lastly, the teacher will be collecting the graphic organizer the students will fill out after the reading of Side By Side. This graphic organizer will demonstrate if the students are able to pick out a theme of a book and support it with multiple examples from the text.
Instructional Model/Strategy
(i.e., concept formation, concept development, direct instruction, cooperative learning, inquiry, discussion model). Explain how you will best facilitate student learning through a specific model of instruction. Be sure to include a rationale for the chosen model(s). You may use more than one:
Direct Instruction and discussion will be one of the instruction strategies used during this lesson. It will be used when the subject is introduced and the teacher is asking the students questions about what they already know theme to be. The teacher will prompt students to go further in their observations of theme by the playing of a video clip from Finding Nemo.
Cooperative Learning is another instructional strategy that will be used during this lesson. This strategy will be implemented while the students work in pairs to come up with a main theme of the book Side By Side. They will use each other to bounce different theme ideas off one another and come up with the best theme with many supporting details and events that happened throughout the story as to why they think that way. They will then work together to come up with one lesson they think the author was trying to portray through the theme they picked.
Concept Development will also be another instructional strategy used in this lesson. It will be used after the discussion of what they already know and what they take away from the video clip. The students will then be asked to create their own definition of theme in one sentence based of these two things alone. The students will then share out and we will decide on a short class definition of the word “theme.”
Materials/Resources needed for this lesson
For this lesson, the teacher will need the following:
Smart notebook (for activity)
YouTube
Smart Board for brainstorming
Pencil
Piece of paper
Graphic Organizer (found at end of this lesson)
Daily Formative Assessment
How will you check for understanding and student achievement during the lesson?
During the lesson, the teacher will check for understanding through discussion with the students that he/she takes part in. When he/she asks questions after the movie clip about what they think the theme was she will look for the students to answer using what they already know about theme and the Finding Nemo movie. The teacher will look for an appropriate explanation on why they think that was the theme of the specific clip. The teacher will also look at the student’s examples of books, songs, movies, fables, and poems as a way to access if they understand the concept of theme. Through explaining what Charlottes Web is about and how it relates to the theme of loyalty is an example of what the teacher will look for. The final assessment will be through the students work on the worksheet. The teacher will look for a clear theme stated, at least two ways a character acts or something that happens to support the theme, and a 1-2 sentence explanation on what they think the author’s message was.
Initiation
Cite how you will engage and motivate learners, activate prior learning and present the lesson’s objective.
The teacher will instruct the students to clear your desks; all you need is a pencil and a piece of paper.
Today we are going to talk about theme.
The teacher will play the following video clip of “Keep Swimming” from Finding Nemo.
After the clip is done the teacher will ask the students what they noticed about the video with theme in mind.
The teacher will ask the students: Can anyone tell me what I mean by theme?
Teacher will continue to ask: Does anyone know anything about themes?
What different themes could be?
Where do we find themes? (Books, songs, movies) Anything else?
Can there be more then one theme in a book?
Could we have different views about what the theme of the same book is?
Can anyone give me a definition for theme?
The teacher will pause after each question and listen to at least 2 responses from students to evaluate what they know about the concept.
The teacher will then play the video again and remind the students to think about what different themes could be portrayed within the same video clip.
After the video is over, the teacher will ask students to write the definition of theme, the theme of the video clip and why on their piece of paper. They will then share out.
The teacher will tell students there are multiple different themes that we can find in a book, movie, song, poem, etc. But for todays purposes we are only going to focus on eight themes: friendship, family, courage, honesty, never give up, be yourself, acceptance, and loyalty.
Lesson Development
Cite how you will provide opportunities for the students to construct meaning. List the steps/process you will follow. Be sure to identify how you will check for understanding and collect formative data. Differentiate for students who will require an accommodation or modification in order to be active participants in this lesson and state these strategies in the differentiation section above.
The lesson will start with a discussion of the eight themes the students will focus on for this specific lesson: friendship, family, courage, honesty, never give up, being yourself, acceptance, and loyalty. The teacher will introduce each card one at a time and allow students time to provide examples of each theme of books, songs, movies, etc. they have come across with the specified theme. If they are stuck, the teacher will provide her/his own example of a book or movie to help the students come up with their own. For example, if the theme card says “Friendship” the teacher will look for examples like Toy Story or The Rainbow Fish.
Next, the teacher will instruct students to join her on the stage in the back of the room with their pen and paper for a story called Side By Side. The teacher will introduce the title of the book and have them write down what they predict the theme of the picture book is based off the title and front cover.
The teacher will read through the book, stopping after every few pages asking questions about the actions of the characters, how the characters feel, and what the students think is going to happen next. The teacher will also refer back to the predictions the students made before the reading to see if they still agree or disagree with their original predictions based on how the story is going.
Synopsis of Side By Side by Rachel Bright: A little mouse finds a best friend to stay by her side! Deep in the heart of winter mouse Wood, down in the grass where the autumn trees stood, lived all kinds of creatures -- some big and some small -- Some spiky, some furry, some short, and some tall. Follow one little mouseling and her search for a best friend to stay by her side in this joyful read-aloud bedtime book -- the perfect celebration of friendship.
After the reading, the teacher will instruct students to go back to their desks and refer to their original prediction of the theme of the story. The teacher will hand out the graphic organize and explain that they need to pick 1 theme for the story and write it in the big box at the top, then provide 3 details on what the characters did or say to make them think that is the theme, and then in the last box the students will provide a statement about what they think the overall message was that the author was trying to get across.
Closure
How will you question students in order to evaluate if the objective(s) was met? How will you question students to connect this lesson to previous and subsequent lessons as well as connect to their own lives? How will you question students to see the relevancy of the lesson by understanding the purpose/importance of the learning?
To close the lesson, the teacher will instruct students to go back to their desks and be ready to share what they have. The students will discuss with the teacher possible themes they came up with with their partners and the supporting details they used from the story to back up the theme. The teacher will bring back theme cards from the beginning of the lesson and go through each one with the class as a whole to emphasize the point that each book can have multiple themes, you just need good supporting facts that back that theme up.
1. I will study all material and content standards of not just the grade I am in but also the material from the grade before and the grade after so I am comfortable with anything I would need to teach.
2. I will use an array of resources (online, books, undergraduate materials) to help me throughout the process with understanding the material.
3. Try and teach as much literacy based lessons as I can in my field placement this semester to practice and get more comfortable with it before student teaching.
CCSU Lesson Plan Template
Student Learning Objective(s)
Assessment
State the specific strategy (ies) and tool(s) used to collect the data for each SLO (i.e., essays, projects, quizzes, exit slip, worksheet, etc.). Are there students who will require an accommodation or modification to this lesson’s assessment?
Instructional Model/Strategy
(i.e., concept formation, concept development, direct instruction, cooperative learning, inquiry, discussion model). Explain how you will best facilitate student learning through a specific model of instruction. Be sure to include a rationale for the chosen model(s). You may use more than one:
Cooperative Learning is another instructional strategy that will be used during this lesson. This strategy will be implemented while the students work in pairs to come up with a main theme of the book Side By Side. They will use each other to bounce different theme ideas off one another and come up with the best theme with many supporting details and events that happened throughout the story as to why they think that way. They will then work together to come up with one lesson they think the author was trying to portray through the theme they picked.
Concept Development will also be another instructional strategy used in this lesson. It will be used after the discussion of what they already know and what they take away from the video clip. The students will then be asked to create their own definition of theme in one sentence based of these two things alone. The students will then share out and we will decide on a short class definition of the word “theme.”
Materials/Resources needed for this lesson
Daily Formative Assessment
How will you check for understanding and student achievement during the lesson?
Initiation
Cite how you will engage and motivate learners, activate prior learning and present the lesson’s objective.
Lesson Development
Cite how you will provide opportunities for the students to construct meaning. List the steps/process you will follow. Be sure to identify how you will check for understanding and collect formative data. Differentiate for students who will require an accommodation or modification in order to be active participants in this lesson and state these strategies in the differentiation section above.
Closure
How will you question students in order to evaluate if the objective(s) was met? How will you question students to connect this lesson to previous and subsequent lessons as well as connect to their own lives? How will you question students to see the relevancy of the lesson by understanding the purpose/importance of the learning?